SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — According to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, President Donald Trump is dispatching 300 California National Guard members to Oregon following a judge’s decision to stop the administration from sending Oregon’s guard to Portland.
Newsom pledged Sunday to fight the move in court.
There was no formal statement from Washington about the call-up of the California National Guard to Oregon, similar to the situation when Illinois’ governor announced on Saturday about troops in his state being mobilized.
Gov. Newsom, a Democrat, remarked in a statement on Sunday that the California personnel were en route and described the deployment as “a breathtaking abuse of the law and power.”
Newsom’s statement read, “The commander-in-chief is manipulating the U.S. military as a political tool against American citizens. We will challenge this in court, but the public must not remain silent against such reckless and authoritarian action by the president of the United States.”
On Saturday, a Trump-appointed federal judge in Oregon temporarily halted the Trump administration’s plan to deploy the Oregon National Guard in Portland to protect federal property amid protests, following Trump’s labeling of the city as “war-ravaged.” Oregon officials and Portland’s residents condemned the characterization as absurd.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, appointed during Trump’s first term, issued the order while further arguments in the case are considered. She noted that the city’s relatively minor protests did not justify the federalized force’s use, and allowing this deployment might undermine Oregon’s state sovereignty.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland has recently been the site of nightly protests.
Trump has characterized both Portland and Chicago as cities rife with crime and unrest, calling the former a “war zone” and suggesting apocalyptic force was needed to quell problems in the latter. Since the start of his second term, he has sent or talked about sending troops to 10 cities.
Trump authorized the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago on Saturday.
